Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties

Multifunctional reinforced polymer composites provide an ideal platform for next-generation smart materials applications, enhancing matrix properties like electrical and thermal conductivity. Reinforcements are usually based on functional metal alloys, inorganic compounds, polymers, and carbon nanom...

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Main Authors: Stefano Guarino, Emanuele Mingione, Gennaro Salvatore Ponticelli, Alfio Scuderi, Simone Venettacci, Vittorio Villani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5708
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author Stefano Guarino
Emanuele Mingione
Gennaro Salvatore Ponticelli
Alfio Scuderi
Simone Venettacci
Vittorio Villani
author_facet Stefano Guarino
Emanuele Mingione
Gennaro Salvatore Ponticelli
Alfio Scuderi
Simone Venettacci
Vittorio Villani
author_sort Stefano Guarino
collection DOAJ
description Multifunctional reinforced polymer composites provide an ideal platform for next-generation smart materials applications, enhancing matrix properties like electrical and thermal conductivity. Reinforcements are usually based on functional metal alloys, inorganic compounds, polymers, and carbon nanomaterials. The latter have drawn significant interest in developing high-performance smart composites due to their exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. The increasing demand for highly complex functional structures has led additive manufacturing to become a reference technology for the production of smart material components. In this study, laser sintering technology was adopted to manufacture nano-graphite/nylon-12 composites with a carbon-based particle reinforcement content of up to 10% in weight. The results showed that the addition of the filler led to the fabrication of samples that reached an electrical conductivity of around 4·10<sup>−4</sup> S/cm, in contrast to the insulating behavior of a bare polymeric matrix (i.e., lower than 10<sup>−10</sup> S/cm), while maintaining a low production cost, though at the expense of mechanical performance under both tensile and bending loads.
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issn 2076-3417
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
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spelling doaj-art-ac449797122849ea822db3c3ff7036132025-08-20T01:56:25ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510570810.3390/app15105708Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical PropertiesStefano Guarino0Emanuele Mingione1Gennaro Salvatore Ponticelli2Alfio Scuderi3Simone Venettacci4Vittorio Villani5Department of Engineering, University Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Economics, Engineering, Society, and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Via del Paradiso, 47, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University Niccolò Cusano, Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome, ItalyMultifunctional reinforced polymer composites provide an ideal platform for next-generation smart materials applications, enhancing matrix properties like electrical and thermal conductivity. Reinforcements are usually based on functional metal alloys, inorganic compounds, polymers, and carbon nanomaterials. The latter have drawn significant interest in developing high-performance smart composites due to their exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. The increasing demand for highly complex functional structures has led additive manufacturing to become a reference technology for the production of smart material components. In this study, laser sintering technology was adopted to manufacture nano-graphite/nylon-12 composites with a carbon-based particle reinforcement content of up to 10% in weight. The results showed that the addition of the filler led to the fabrication of samples that reached an electrical conductivity of around 4·10<sup>−4</sup> S/cm, in contrast to the insulating behavior of a bare polymeric matrix (i.e., lower than 10<sup>−10</sup> S/cm), while maintaining a low production cost, though at the expense of mechanical performance under both tensile and bending loads.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5708graphite nanoplateletspolyamide 12composite materialadditive manufacturinglaser sinteringelectrical conductivity
spellingShingle Stefano Guarino
Emanuele Mingione
Gennaro Salvatore Ponticelli
Alfio Scuderi
Simone Venettacci
Vittorio Villani
Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
Applied Sciences
graphite nanoplatelets
polyamide 12
composite material
additive manufacturing
laser sintering
electrical conductivity
title Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
title_full Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
title_fullStr Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
title_full_unstemmed Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
title_short Laser Sintering of Nano-Graphite-Reinforced Polyamide Composites for Next-Generation Smart Materials: A Preliminary Investigation of Processability and Electromechanical Properties
title_sort laser sintering of nano graphite reinforced polyamide composites for next generation smart materials a preliminary investigation of processability and electromechanical properties
topic graphite nanoplatelets
polyamide 12
composite material
additive manufacturing
laser sintering
electrical conductivity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5708
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